An Introduction to Psychological Astrology, by Clare Martin

Astrology is a form of imagination emerging from nature and having
direct relevance for everyday life. It is an applied poetics, a vision
of life on earth stimulated by movements in the heavens, which can
take us into
areas of self-reflection as no other system of symbols and images can. [1]

Over the years of teaching introduction courses in astrology, I have
often wondered why, in this day and age, when we should know better,
so many of us continue to be drawn to astrology. When I ask a new group
of students what brought them here at this time in their lives, I often
get the impression that they have not chosen astrology but that it has
chosen them. It is not uncommon to hear students say that they have been
interested in astrology for years and, in a sense, have been resisting
it for years, but have found that, in the end, it won't go away. And
so we eventually find ourselves in a class, not really knowing what it
will mean to us, if anything, or where it will take us, because something
in us has decided that it is time to learn.

These classes are for that 'something' in us which I have gradually
come to think of as a kind of shamanic calling. Could it be that astrologers
are actually 'chosen for their role by the spirits of the universe'? [2] Certainly,
many of us have experienced the standard signatures of the shamanic calling:
that astrology comes upon us in spite of ourselves; that we often attempt
to avoid making a commitment to astrology, for the very good reason that
astrology is a demanding vocation which we sense will change our lives
forever; that as we become mediators between the worlds, with one foot
in the other realms, we can no longer live fully in the world. Ultimately
astrology is not a technique but an initiation into a way of life which,
because of its mysterious familiarity, often feels like a coming home.

Astrology is 'a saving kind of knowledge, an apprehension of the
mysteries which run deep in nature and in the individual, a transforming
knowledge
which can only be acquired through learning that is far beyond intellect
alone.'[3]

Astrology and psychological astrology are difficult to define exactly.
Perhaps astrology can best be described as a mythical and magical language
and, as with all languages, every astrologer will develop their own way
of interpreting and communicating its meaning. This course draws primarily
on the work of Carl Jung, who has given us a particular vocabulary which
enables us to restore astrology to what I believe to be its rightful
place, as one of the four great pillars of western esotericism, along
with kabbalah, alchemy and magic. [4]In
the esoteric traditions, the universe is perceivedas'an
organic, alive and sacred whole, in which everything is woven together
in one cosmic web, where all orders of manifest and unmanifest life are
related, because all share in the sanctity of the original source'. [5]

For psychological astrologers the relationship between astrology and
alchemy seems to be particularly significant. Historically, these twin
sciences were not only strongly linked, but inseparable. The alchemists
were practical people, and their approach is useful for the psychological
astrologer since it encourages our active participation and personal
engagement with the natal chart. In other words, there is a job to be
done. The basis of alchemy is that nature, and natural humanity,
are not created perfect. In our original state, we are 'a confusion of
spirit, soul and body', unconscious of ourselves to a large degree, and
therefore, according to Jung, capable only of collective functioning.
The astrological birth chart remains exactly the same for our entire
lives. There is no guarantee that we will be any more integrated, evolved,
or conscious by the time we die than when we were born. In our natural
state we live under the sometimes tyrannical dominion of the planets.
But what we do with our birth chart, and how we choose to live it, is
up to us. A psychological approach works against our natural state in
the service of increasing consciousness. The alchemists were deliberately
working against the natural order of things by helping nature do what
she could not do for herself.

Nature does not produce anything that is perfect in itself; man
must bring things to their perfection - this work is called 'alchemy'...Things
are created and given into our hands, but not in the ultimate form that
is proper to them...In the seed is inherent from the beginning the purpose
and function...For alchemy means: to carry to its end something that
has not yet been completed; to obtain the lead from the ore and to transform
it into what it is made for. [6]

Alchemy is fundamentally optimistic. 'The opus alchemicum not
only changes, perfects or redeems Nature, but also brings to perfection
human existence.'[7] Like
the alchemist and the magician, the psychological astrologer participates
actively in a dialogue with nature. A psychological approach is not unlike
the 'great work' or magnum opus of the alchemists. Both involve
a careful and deliberate cooperation in the task of creating consciousness.
This is no easy option since it involves prolonged periods of self analysis,
the courage to confront and integrate our own hidden darkness, to recognise
our self righteousness, defensiveness and deepest fears, and the decision
to take personal responsibility for ourselves, rather than being content
to live as passive victims of what we suppose to be our pre-determined 'fate'.

The process of psychological differentiation is no light work; it needs
the tenacity and patience of the alchemist, who must purify the body
from all superfluities in the fiercest heat of the furnace. [8]

The illusion that all our problems are caused by outside forces or can
be blamed, for example, on our birth charts comes to an end when we start
to take back our projections and to look at things from within. The process
of individuation, of 'deliberately working against the natural
order of things', leads to the creation of what Jung called the 'Self',
an internal structure which gives us a 'feeling of standing on solid
ground, on a patch of inner eternity which even physical death cannot
touch'. [9]

The magnum opus had two aims: 'the rescue of the human soul and the
salvation of the cosmos'. [10] This
means that, however small and unimportant our individual efforts may
seem, we will nevertheless be playing our own small part in helping nature
do what she is unable to do for herself:

Once a vision of life as an organic whole is accepted in principle,
humanity becomes in one sense a co-creator with nature, in so far as
it can foster, ignore or destroy its identity with nature, for nature's
continued existence depends ultimately on the kind of consciousness we
bring to bear on it. [11]

"Mapping the Psyche" by Clare Martin is a transcript of the first term
of an introductory course in astrology given for the Centre
for Psychological Astrology. In this first of three volumes,
the basic building blocks of astrological language are presented.
The reader is taken on a fascinating journey through the solar
system, the ancient planetary gods, and the energies and motivations
s ymbolised by their astrological equivalents; and then through
the signs of the zodiac, their elements and qualities, and the
ways in which different planets express through them. Alchemical
symbolism is included as a parallel map of the individual journey.
The book is well-illustrated, and is worthwhile reading for both
the beginner as well as the more advanced astrological student.

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